ASWN Data platform workshop hosted in Oman

Participants to the first day of the ASWN workshop titled “Managing data for whale conservation in the Arabian Sea”, held in Muscat, Oman 21-24 January 2018

(Adapted from a press release issued by ESO and WWF Pakistan)

As part of its efforts to protect and conserve endangered whales, the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) hosted a workshop on Managing Data for Whale Conservation in the Arabian Sea. The workshop, organized jointly by ESO and WWF-Pakistan aimed to raise awareness of Arabian Sea humpback whales and other baleen whales, and introduce a regional data sharing platform developed specifically for the Arabian Sea Whale Network by the developers of Flukebook.

The workshop, included participants from Arabian Sea humpback whale range states, namely India, Pakistan, Iran, the UAE and Sri Lanka as well as other international partners. Presentations about research and conservation efforts from the Northwest Indian Ocean were shared, as well as exercises to enable the collection and compilation of the data under one single online platform. Arabian Sea humpback whales have been designated as an endangered sub-population on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, and have become a global priority for research and conservation.

Suaad Al Harthi, ESO’s Programme Director, said, “The workshop primarily intends to raise awareness on the need for conservation of the Arabian Sea humpback whale and also to introduce the new Arabian Sea Whale Network regional online data platform, Flukebook. This tool that will allow whale researchers throughout the Arabian Sea region to streamline data collected into an integrated online platform for ease of data comparison to understand the connectivity between our shared resources.”

Researchers from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka compare photographs of humpback whale tail flukes from Pakistan and India, hoping to find evidence that whales are moving between different range states in the Arabian Sea.

The Arabian Sea Whale Network (ASWN) was established in 2015 with the aim to facilitate the regional exchange of information, research efforts and strategies. Gianna Minton, Co-coordinator of the ASWN, said, “The data platform will be an extremely useful tool for the Network, and the meeting has also provided a great opportunity for network members to re-connect, take stock of the network’s progress so far, and discuss future aims and priorities. ”

Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes at WWF-Pakistan added, “The regional database would help bridge the gap from a scientific perspective and aid in improved management of cetaceans and fisheries as a whole by providing necessary information to make informed decisions. Experts at the workshop can provide scientific advice on mitigating threats to the endangered, threatened and protected populations of cetaceans in the Arabian Sea by developing a strategy to reduce entanglements in fishing operations, which has been made possible with financial support from the Global Environment Facility, FAO and Commons Oceans for Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Tuna Project,” he added